Sandra Bullock opened up in a new episode of the "SmartLess" podcast about the loss of her partner, Bryan Randall, and his three-year battle with ALS, which the couple kept secret.
Randall died in 2023 at the age of 57. Bullock emphasized that she did not have the right to speak about the diagnosis: "I wasn't allowed to talk about it. It was his request, and I honored it."
The actress admitted that the isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation. "I know why he asked me not to tell," she noted.
Initially, only her sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado, knew about the illness. Later, Bullock shared the news with close friends—Jennifer Aniston and Amanda Anka, the wife of Jason Bateman.
She began grieving four years before Randall's death: "My person was gone long before his body." The illness lasted for half of their relationship, which became public in 2015.
The couple raised Bullock's children—Louis and Laila—and Randall's daughter from a previous relationship, Skylar, together.
Bullock says she is a good caregiver thanks to her family experience: her father had severe injuries, and her mother had cancer. "The illness itself doesn't scare me. But I had two small children, especially a girl for whom he was a father."
She thanked the four nurses who helped care for Randall. How does one cope with such a loss when you cannot even tell those close to you?
The podcast episode will be released on all platforms on August 24. A sequel starring Bullock, "Practical Magic 2," is currently in development.
